Rookie WR Rashod Bateman Showing Why Ravens Drafted Him

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OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Of Rashod Bateman’s 12 catches this season, 11 person been for archetypal downs.

The 1 that wasn’t was besides beauteous memorable.

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Last weekend, arsenic Baltimore was trying to equine a last-minute thrust successful a necktie game, Bateman reached retired with 1 limb and pulled successful a walk from Lamar Jackson for a 6-yard gain. The Ravens didn’t people connected that possession — they went connected to triumph successful overtime — but that was different reminder of the imaginable Baltimore saw erstwhile it drafted Bateman successful the archetypal circular this year.

“It conscionable happens similar that sometimes,” Bateman said. “The pugnacious catches travel erstwhile you’re not truly expecting it, and I decidedly wasn’t expecting it that time.”

The Ravens added Bateman during an offseason successful which improving their 32nd-ranked passing crippled was a priority. Then helium had to miss the archetypal 5 games of the play due to the fact that of groin problems. Despite that and different injuries, Baltimore leads the AFC North going into Thursday night’s crippled astatine Miami, and there’s inactive a consciousness that the Ravens person country to grow.

Bateman is simply a important portion of those precocious hopes. In 3 games, he’s caught 12 passes for 161 yards. He had a driblet successful his archetypal crippled that caromed to a defender for an interception, but he’s besides made immoderate pugnacious catches, including a drawback connected third-and-4 connected Sunday erstwhile helium outfought a defender for a walk implicit the middle.

“You’ve got to get archetypal downs to people touchdowns, truthful that’s big,” Bateman said. “I’m excited that I’m capable to lend and assistance the squad the champion mode possible. So, if I’m a archetypal down guy, past I conjecture I’ll instrumentality that role.”

One happening Bateman hasn’t done yet is people a touchdown, but it feels arsenic if that volition travel soon enough, and helium does person thing successful caput to celebrate.

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“I bash privation to springiness a shot to my mom, but that depends connected wherever we play,” helium said.

The Ravens were already showing immoderate betterment successful the passing crippled erstwhile Bateman returned from his injury. Jackson has astir arsenic galore yards passing (2,209) successful 8 games arsenic helium did the full play (2,757) successful 2020. Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews person led the mode successful presumption of walk catching, but Sammy Watkins — different offseason acquisition — has been constricted by wounded issues of his own.

If the Ravens are capable to get each their apical receiving options steadfast astatine the aforesaid time, an already awesome discourtesy could go adjacent better.

“I deliberation the amusement is conscionable acceptable to begin,” Baltimore antiaircraft backmost Marlon Humphrey said. “What I saw successful grooming camp, what I was trying to screen each grooming campy … I deliberation each those things are starting to click, and it’s starting to click astatine the close time.”

Bateman’s contiguous publication has been a affirmative sign, not lone due to the fact that it shows his potential, but due to the fact that it’s an denotation that helium and Jackson person bully chemistry already — contempt not having arsenic overmuch clip unneurotic arsenic planned.

“The times that we were retired there, we made definite that we were connecting,” Bateman said. “If it didn’t work, we ran the way again. We ran it backmost to marque definite we got that consciousness of a completion. I deliberation small things similar that person decidedly helped america successful the agelong run, and we’re going to proceed to bash those things to marque definite that we get comfortable.”

NOTES: Watkins (thigh) is questionable for Thursday and truthful are NT Brandon Williams (shoulder) and TE Nick Boyle (knee). OL Patrick Mekari (ankle) and RB Latavius Murray (ankle) are doubtful.

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